Mike Pettine Coming Back is the Right Move

What many people predicted actually happened officially on Friday. Mike Pettine is returning as the defensive coordinator to work with Matt LaFleur. Green Bay went with the same method that their NFC North rival did last season. Chicago Bears hired Matt Nagy, a young offensive mind, then he made sure to keep Vic Fangio. That worked out very well for Nagy. Chicago had an elite defense this season (Adding Khalil Mack helped out too). Packers following that trend is the right idea. Pettine can help in multiple ways for LaFleur.

Pettine brings a ton of experience about this Packers team to the table. He got familiar with this Packers defense last season. They did a better job than the year prior with Dom Capers. Green Bay looked competent enough defensively and if they did not have a swath of injuries, the Packers might have had a strong defense. They were also a young defense too, and Pettine’s defense is complex, therefore, year two should bring more to the table. Green Bay is going to pay for some defensive talent. There are talented EDGE rushers for Pettine in the NFL Draft plus a few talented players in free agency to make the Packers have a great defense for the first time in a very long time.

The other thing Pettine helps LaFleur with is the head coaching experience. Pettine doesn’t want to be a head coach again unlike Fangio who interviewed for the Bears job that he didn’t get last year. That said, he knows what it’s like to be one. LaFleur can lean on him when he’s in a tight situation, and see what Pettine would do in this sort of situation. Fangio is a long-time coach, but he did not have that with Nagy. Pettine brings this for Green Bay’s coaching staff.

Green Bay did make a move on their defensive staff sending Joe Whitt Jr. off the staff. He was a deep Mike McCarthy guy and people liked him yet my guess is Pettine will likely bring someone else on the staff who works better with his system elevating this defense. Same goes for linebackers coach with Winston Moss’ departure earlier this season.